John Edward O'Shea Sr.

John E. O’Shea, Sr. was born on August 5, 1937 in Tallulah, LA to John B. and Mayme O’Shea. He grew up as a fun-loving, spirited boy with a zest for life, enjoying sports and music. John was a championship golfer, playing on the Louisiana Tech golf team. His love of music included being an accomplished trumpet player in high school and college, often booking gigs across Louisiana and Mississippi. At Tech, he met the love of his life Ann Lestage at the Newman Club for Catholics. They were meant to be together as Ann tried to set him up with her roommate, but John had other plans. They were a lovely Catholic couple in the heart of the Bible Belt. They married on July 30, 1960 in Campti, Louisiana in the picturesque backyard of Ann’s childhood home. Upon graduation from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute in 1959 (now Louisiana Tech University - his kids often thought their father should be institutionalized!) with a BS in Accounting, John entered the working world as an insurance salesman. However, his dedication to public service called and John entered the Navy in 1960 and soon achieved his Officer’s Commission. He saw all aspects of the Navy from being in the cockpit, to serving on ships, to even commanding the ground support for the Blue Angels. He often claimed that he couldn’t resign his commission until his replacement arrived to take over – his replacement was Roger Staubach. John and Ann started growing their family during his Navy days. He had his first three children back-to-back-to-back and soon had a houseful of kids. When he left the Navy, he began a career with Freeport Sulphur first working on the offshore platforms then moving to a job in downtown New Orleans. This began a lifelong love affair with New Orleans. John and The City That Care Forgot were made for each other. He loved music, food and fashion and there is no other city like the Big Easy. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Junior Achievement and the Irish Channel Marching Club. He was President of the Young Men’s Business Club (YMBC), the Lions Club and Louisiana Tech Alumni Association. Before moving to New Orleans, they had their fourth and final child while spending a year in company housing in Port Sulphur. John and Ann loved Mardi Gras and took their family to every parade in town. A favorite O’Shea family memory was spending the Sunday before Fat Tuesday seeing three parades in a row then going to eat at Pancho’s before watching Bacchus. It was heaven!!! John became a salesman with Freeport selling to the paper industry. He left New Orleans in 1986 and moved to Wisconsin then to the Charlotte, North Carolina area. Ann and John loved their 5 years in Wisconsin and made lifelong friends during their 30+ years in North Carolina. They were one of the founding families of St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville, North Carolina. John joined Cowans Ford Golf Club and continued to enjoy his favorite passion – golf. After retirement, he walked three rounds per week with his golf buddies. John loved to take pictures and each Christmas there was a wonderful family Christmas card sent to all of their family and friends. From carousels of slides to Panasonic cameras to digital cameras to finally a robust phone photo gallery, this man saw the complete evolution of the camera and loved educating himself on each new invention. Ann and John cruised and travelled all over the world. Before the ship left harbor, John had typically met half the boat as he loved people and telling stories (some of which were even true). With his warm smile, deep southern accent and engaging manner, everyone he met felt as if they were his best friend. He loved making people laugh and sharing stories. John is survived by his wife of 64 years Ann O’Shea, his four children – John Edward, Jr., Mary Marks (Kurt), Lisa Nolan (Patrick) and Michael (Janel); his 14 grandchildren (lovingly known as Pop) – Julie O’Shea (Matt Nyberg), Christopher O’Shea (Lindsay), James O’Shea, William Marks, Michael Marks, Amelia Marks, Peter Nolan (Katherine), Thomas Nolan (Jillian), Molly Bodner (Alexander), Joseph Nolan, David Nolan, Jacob O’Shea, Tyler O’Shea and Erin O’Shea. The family will have a visitation on Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 9:30 am at Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church followed by a Catholic mass at 10:30 am. A private burial will be held at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan at a later date. Memorial contributions can be made to the Fox Run Scholarship, 41100 Fox Run Road, Novi, MI 48377 or Alzheimers Association, Michigan Chapter, 25200 Telegraph Road, STE 100, Southfield, Michigan 48033-7443, https://www.alz.org/gmc. To share a memory, please use the share a memory tab on this webpage.

John Edward O'Shea Sr.

August 5, 1937 - October 14, 2024